Whitefish

Whitefish is a small town in Montana, near Glacier National Park. The population was about 8,300 in 2019.

Understand
Whitefish is a historic town in the northern Flathead Valley on the southern end of Whitefish Lake. Whitefish was founded in 1905 as a stopover for the Great Northern Railroad. Traditional industries in Whitefish have included logging, ranching, and farming.

Today the town offers recreational activities including skiing, water sports, climbing and exploring. Whitefish Mountain Resort to the north of town offers excellent skiing in the winter, and Glacier National Park to the east is a major hiking and camping destination. Flathead Lake to the south is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi and features many opportunities for water sports and boating.

By plane
The  is a small airfield for public general aviation use. The airport is on the east side of town along Armory Rd.

For commercial flights, the nearest airport is:

By car
To access Whitefish from the south, you can take either Exit 96 on I-90 near Missoula and head north on U.S. 93.

Whitefish is accessible from Canada at several border crossings. From Calgary, the fastest route is to go southwest on the Crowsnest Highway 3, passing through Fernie. Continue south on Hwy 3 until it crosses with Hwy 93. Take that south through the Roosville border crossing and the town of Eureka until hitting Whitefish. Driving time is about 5 hours.

Whitefish is accessible several ways from Regina. One could take the Trans-Canada Hwy 1 west to Calgary and then follow the route explained above, which would take about 12-13 hours. Another is to take Hwy 6 south to Plentywood, and take Hwy 16 south to Culbertson. Take Hwy 2 west through Glasgow and Havre until eventually hitting Whitefish. This takes approx. 13 hours.

By train

 * Route stopping at Whitefish:
 * Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago.
 * Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago.

Get around
Walking, driving, or biking are ways to get around Whitefish. The local taxi service, Drive 4 U, can aid in getting around Whitefish and the surrounding area and does shuttles to and from the airport and amtrak stations. During the ski season there is a snow bus shuttle from the town to the ski resort.

See

 * Whitefish Lake is on the NW corner of the town. Walking distance to downtown, there is a state park and city beach on the shores. It is roughly 3300 acres and popular in summer for boating. There are public access boat launches, with a small marina at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake. The Lodge also rents boats and jet skis.
 * Glacier National Park is 27 miles (43 km) to the east of Whitefish along US 2 to West Glacier. Many backpackers and adventurers use Whitefish as a staging point for expeditions into the park.

Do

 * Golf The Whitefish Lake Golf Club, just west of the city on the lake is worth checking.
 * Hike and Bike Glacier National Park has 735 miles (1180 km) of trails. Glacier Guides offers day-hiking and multi-day backpacking adventures in Glacier National Park.
 * Fish Fly fishing is the choice in and around Whitefish. Close to the Flathead River, trout fishing is ample during summer and fall. There are two fly shops in Whitefish. There are many lakes in the area that support fishing, though rivers are better. Montana Raft offers guided fishing trips on the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Flathead Rivers.
 * Boating Water sports form kayaking down the lazy flowing Whitefish River to water skiing across Whitefish Lake can be enjoyed. Boats can be rented from local business.  Montana Raft offers guided rafting or raft rentals for the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Flathead Rivers.

Buy
The downtown area has many family-run stores. In the southern part are larger chain stores such as Safeway. In the same area is a small shopping mall, which includes a Super 1 supermarket and a cinema.

For cross-border shoppers, the commercial area just south of the city in Kalispell on Highway 93 has all the national big-box chains you need.

Budget
Fast food options in Whitefish include McDonald's, Taco John's, Wendy's, and Dairy Freeze. Pizza by the slice can be purchased at 2nd Street Pizzeria.

Mid-range


For breakfast; Loula's Cafe and The Buffalo Cafe are options.

All of these options are in or within walking distance of the downtown area.

Splurge
There are a few luxury dining options in the Whitefish area. The Boat Club and Whitefish Lake Restaurant offer a standard selection of entrees. Tupelo's is a Cajun-themed menu.

Sleep
There are many lodging options available in and around Whitefish. They range from four star luxury, to budget, to vacation homes and condominiums.



Go next

 * Flathead National Forest: Over 2000 miles of trails, lakes, campgrounds, and ski areas. 16 miles east of Whitefish.
 * Glacier National Park
 * Hungry Horse Dam: One of the largest concrete dams in the US. Visitor center. 20 miles to the east.